S1 E85 | Riding the Laos–China Bullet Train: Luang Prabang to Vientiane

When we first heard about the Laos–China Railway, we were curious. High-speed trains in Southeast Asia are rare, and Laos is one of the first countries to have one — thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative. So while exploring Luang Prabang, we decided to give it a try and see what it was like to ride this “bullet train” across Laos.

Getting tickets, however, wasn’t straightforward. There are three ways to buy them:

• At the train station: the cheapest option, but it requires a long tuk-tuk or scooter ride out of town.

• At the Luang Prabang ticketing office: more convenient, but payments are only accepted via UnionPay or OnePay — not Visa or Mastercard. As foreigners, we had to rely on the kindness of a local who helped purchase our ticket.

• Through an agent: the easiest option but comes with a commission fee.

Once tickets were sorted, we headed to the station. The building felt more like an airport than a train station — grand architecture, LED-lit halls, security checks, and even a VIP waiting area. Boarding the train felt exciting, as if we were about to step into the future of transport in Southeast Asia.

The train itself was clean, comfortable, and smooth. While it didn’t quite reach the speeds of Japan or Europe’s bullet trains (we clocked around 150 km/h), it was still impressively fast. A road journey from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng normally takes 7 hours, but by train, it was cut down to about 1.5 hours. We reached Vientiane in just over two hours — a huge difference!

Arriving in the capital, reality hit us again. Affordable accommodation was hard to find — weekend prices had shot up, and the weakening Lao kip against the US dollar meant many hotels were charging inflated rates. After a frantic search, we managed to find a backpacker hostel within our budget and ended the day with comfort food at a nearby Indian restaurant.

Looking back, riding the Laos–China Railway was more than just a journey. It gave us a glimpse of how infrastructure can transform travel — shrinking distances, opening opportunities, and connecting communities in a whole new way. For us, it was an adventure between two cities, but for Laos, it’s a step into the future.